Whitebass Monday before the rain it was sketchy 6-7 inches. On the good ice. People who don't know the harbor Easily would have gotten wet.

I suspect it's only five now, of accessable, and rotten till maybe Friday morning for who knows how long, but accessibility will be the problem. Typically the North side of docs we're good access points... But rains ruined that. Only reason the ice was accessible thos past weekend was because the sun wasn't strong enough or out to destroy the south end of docks., Until this Monday

Does anyone know the actual ice thickness in the harbor today? I'm looking to get on the ice one more time this season and would prefer not to drive 3 hrs to WI if I can get on the ice in the harbor. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Also, to sustain the salmon and trout fishery most fish are stocked and they are stocked at a size that is to big for small 3-6" perch to consume to negatively effect salmon and trout populations. One last thing alewives are a fish that utilizes open water and perch utilize more near shore habitat and the bottom so because they utilize two different habitats perch predation on alewives is most likely very low. The perch most likely only prey on alewives when they come near shore to spawn.

I can tell you one thing, the alewife population has not declined because baby perch are eating them. I'm not denying that perch eat alewives because I'm sure they do but the perch population is suffering for the same reason the alewife population is suffering. If you do a little research on the topic rather than rely on your observations in such a small area researchers are contributing the the decline in alewives to the increasing numbers of invasive quagga and zebra mussels. The mussels filter out small zooplankton that small fish such as alewife and young of year yellow perch need to survive. They have also observed that alewife prey on larval yellow perch and with the decline in alewife populations this may be another reason for the increased number of small perch. Studies have also shown that near shore plankton communities are on a decline as well where spawning and recruitment takes place for perch and alewives. With no food for larval perch and alewives to eat they die and are not recruited into the population.

In regards to the large number of small yellow perch, over the last 10+ years perch recruitment has been down because of what I mentioned previously and they closed fishing during the breeding season to hopefully reduce pressure on spawning fish in hopes of increasing spawning and recruitment success. Fortunately in the last couple years perch have had more success spawning and recruiting into the population, a reason for increased number of 3-6" perch.

All of this information is easily available online if you do a little digging. And I don't understand your negative opinions of DNR when they try to provide the best fishing for us not try to ruin it.Yes, many times DNR implement strategies that does not work to the full extent they were expecting but that's science for you. I can even agree that sometimes they implement strategies too soon based on not enough research but implementing fisheries strategies based on solid research is all you can ask for. Even with solid research it is partially trial and error when it comes to such complex systems such as Lake Michigan. And hey the DNR created this fabulous trout and salmon fishery we are lucky enough to have today so you can't say everything they do is bad!

I do believe my generalization is accurate. Generalizations usually are..

I am not married, have no kids. I fish every weekend I can for my whole life. I have studied this harbor, and the reports of other harbors south of Montrose are exactly the same until you get to Navy Pier and 95th.

If millions of alewife used to come in the harbor every winter, followed by large 20+ inch fish feeding on them is replaced by millions of baby perch. While I imagine some perch were eaten by big fish... the alewife were a particular diet to the trout and salmon etc. I have not seen ONE alewife since 2014-15 winter before the change in rules and millions of baby perch.

And you're being critical of my posts about me saying Jumbos were hitting hard this morning.

I got there at 5:30, finished setting up my shanti by 6. Put my poles down and at 6:07 am I posted that. Shortly after that post, the clouds of baby perch rolled in.

So I am sorry I didn't specify the time.

Here's a fact for you. The DNR is a government entity and any time government gets involved, it costs more and results are usually under performing.

Particularly the comments regarding the baby perch and alewife populations being a direct result of the ban on perch fishing during the breeding season? You also add the salmon and trout fishery will be ruined by the large baby perch population. Really? I can understand the local harbor pike/salmon/trout being off because of the winter influx of small perch but the rest?

You're fishing the relatively small Montrose Harbor yet you refer to the conditions your experiencing at the harbor as if there happening throughout the entire lake.

The laws set by the DNR although not always perfect are not made up to ruin things for fisherman?!

One other question, you mention 4 days of ice fishing with long hours and only 4 keepers. Yet in the previous post you comment Jumbos are hitting minnows hard this morning. The two comments seem to contradict each other?!

Well since they chaged the ban of perch fishing during breeding season two summers ago, both winters have been horrible and the entire harbor full of baby perch, millions, from one foot down to 18 ft down, your vexlar looks like it's broke because it shows fish every inch of the way.

Completely ruining the elweive population and such a buffet of food, it's impossible to catch trour, salmon, pike, of which in prior years I did exceptionally well.

Destruction of elweives because baby perch eat them. I know this because I was catching 3 inch perch on 2 inch shiners. I went through 10 dozen minnows in two days. And forget about waxies...they never make it a couple feet down without perch sucking it off.

I will NOT donate. They are going to ruin the population of salmon and trout. Their offspring will be eaten by baby perch. I wish lefty laws would stop ruining things for fisherman. Or better yet for all aspects of Human life.